“Basically, you need one for every sport,” he said, making light of the topic. “But that’d get kind of spendy. How many does your research say to have?”
“At least three.”
Again he nodded, but this time, he grabbed a piece of paper and pen and scribbled for a couple minutes. She waited for him to look at her before she continued.
“Do you know what the maximum capacity is for Levy’s?”
He scratched his stubble and said, “I’m guessing at least a hundred, give or take.”
“So, that’s pretty much the capacity limit I read for a few of the sports bars.”
“What type of bar do you think Levy’s is?” he asked, with all of his notes in front of him.
“I’d say it’s a mix of a neighborhood and a sports bar.” She grabbed the chart with prices. She placed it in front of Liam as she sat next to him. “We have to figure out a few things. Like what alcohol sells the most?”
He furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about it. “I’d have to check records from past orders,” he said. “I want to believe it’s beer, or at least until you came along.”
She playfully slapped his arm and he held up his hands in defense. “That’s not funny.”
He shrugged. “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“Will you check your records and figure that out?” When he wrote that on his paper, she asked, “We need a pricing system also. If you can figure out what your prices were before, and how well that brought in profit, that’d be great.”
He scribbled a few more notes on his paper.
“I have to ask, only because I want to make sure this business makes money and isn’t allowing potential profit to sneak out the door,” she said, with hesitation long enough to cause him concern.
“If this about strippers…”
Shaking her head, she stopped him mid-sentence. “Absolutely not.”
He smirked as he scribbled no under his quick doodle of a stick figure by a pole. She chuckled to herself. He was such a dork, a cute one, but still a dork.
“I was going to mention the cash and carry system you have used in the past.”
Another eyebrow raise. “What’s that mean?”
“Even though I had a few drinks the first night I was at Levy’s, I remember your bartenders taking an order verbally, which was then paid for before it was entered into the system.”
His puzzled expression encouraged to explain further. “What I’m getting at is that with new-hires, even if we believe they’re trustworthy, we might find that they ‘forgot to ring up drinks.’ Which means a few drinks could be given away for free. Which means…”
“They leave with our profit.”
“Exactly.”
He scribbled down another note. The timer dinged at them and she removed the pizza from the oven. “How many slices do you want?”
“Just a couple is good enough for me,” Liam said, as he pulled the milk from the fridge and poured their glasses. It took him less than five minutes to chow down both slices. He grabbed a third from the pan and stood by the sink. “I’ve been so interested in what you had to say, I didn’t realize how hungry I am.”
She washed the few dishes that were in the sink and placed them in the drying rack. “I’ve figured out advertising techniques also, but if you want, we’ll discuss it tomorrow?” she questioned, hoping he’d put it off until tomorrow. She was tired, and the only thing on her mind was a couple of hours alone with him on the couch to snuggle and watch a movie. “I’m thinking about a movie or something.”
He waggled his eyebrows. “I’ll settle for the something.” He lifted her and carried her into the living room. With her underneath him on the couch, she was pinned by his muscular chest. He brought his mouth to hers, inviting her with his tongue, to open her mouth. She ripped off his shirt and ran her hand through his hair—gripping it when she was able to. His excitement pressed against her as she fought to unbutton his jeans. He shoved her hand away and whispered, “Not yet.”
He gently released her breasts from her bra; taking each one in his hands. His mouth found a nipple, which hardened quickly as he sucked. She threw her head back into the pillow, moaning as she pulled at the waist of his jeans—begging him to take them off and give her what she wanted.
He traced his way with his lips from her breast down to her stomach. He yanked on her jeans—exposing her for him to devour with his mouth. The heat he created as he prepped her for what was about to come was overwhelming as she arched her back and begged him to take her.
Instead, he teased her with his lips, his tongue against the area she mostly craved for him to enter. He took his time with his mouth, making sure her needs were met. As he entered her, she screamed out his name and dug her nails into his back. He thrust deep inside her until she couldn’t ignore the release any longer. She screamed his name at the moment of their shared release, and he collapsed on top of her.
“I love you” was the only thing she had enough energy to say.
28
The chirping of birds and the annoying beep of an alarm clock awoke them to sunshine, bright and warm, peeking in through the cabin’s windows. She pulled the blankets closer to her face as he hit the alarm clock with a quick slap, and rolled closer to her. He caressed the side of her face with his thumb and allowed his lips to find their way to hers.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’m going to be forever thankful that I get to wake up to you for the rest of my life.”
She smiled at the thought of spending the rest of her life with him. The thoughts brought such a warm, gentle feeling over her. She finally had a place to call home and a man she loved more than life itself, who would one day give her the family she had always dreamed of.
“What’re you thinking about?” he asked, as he attempted to climb on top of her. He wrestled with her when she tried to escape. Planting his lips on hers, he said, “You’re not going anywhere.”
She gave him a playful shove. “You’re going to be late, and the guys are going to wonder where you’re at.”
He caressed the side of her face and allowed his touch to travel its way down lower, following the curves of her body. She gently slapped at his hand. He quickly jerked his hand out of harm’s way and said, “I’m sure they’d have a good idea as to why I’m late.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Come on, it’ll only take a few minutes.”
She laughed and pushed against his chest. She leaned away from his kiss and squirmed out from under his hold. “It’d be longer than a few minutes. Besides, I’m going to cook us breakfast and go over the rest of the details of the bar with you before you leave.”
Ignoring his pout, she walked out of the room. He hollered after her, “I’d rather have a quickie. Come on! You can tell me the details while you’re on top!”
She had already climbed into the shower when he came into the bathroom—fully naked. He whipped open the shower curtain and at one glance, she could see he was ready to go. He pinned her against the shower wall and kissed her fiercely.
“Okay, you win,” she said, through smashed lips as he kissed her. “But you’re going to be late.”
Ignoring her words, he lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. This was a first for her. Not only had she never had sex in a shower, but never had a man who could lift her the way Liam had just now. Thoughts left her as he thrust into her, and with each thrust, he gripped her hips harder and harder until she had no choice but to release—with him finishing within seconds after her.
He held onto her and placed his head against her shoulder. His warm breath against her neck shot goosebumps all over her body. He kissed her forehead as he gently set her down on her feet.
With her legs weak, she held onto him, but soon realized he had never let her go.
“See, told you it’d be quick,” he said confidently, as he scrubbed shampoo through his hair.
“You’re still going to be late,” she said, with
an I-told-you-so smirk. She reached for the soap and washed his body. She was winging this shower thing—she had never experienced a man in the shower with her, ever.
“See, and I get a free wash afterwards,” he kissed her forehead and laughed. “All the more reason to be late, and for the guys to be jealous.”
She finished washing herself before she booted him out of the way of the water. The thought of the guys knowing about their sex life made her feel uncomfortable. She felt uneasy with the thought of them possibly looking at her like a piece of meat.
“You’re not going to tell them, are you?” she asked, her insecurities getting the best of her.
He opened the shower curtain and reached for a towel. He chuckled, but stopped when he looked at her. “Are you serious?”
She shrugged and shut the water off. He handed her a towel and allowed her the room to step out of the shower while she dried off.
Tossing his towel on the floor in front of the door, he said, “Who the heck do you think I am?”
Another shrug. It was too late to shake off the feeling she had. “I just know how men are.”
He brushed through his hair quickly, followed by a hand full of gel to style it. He shook his head and locked eyes with her, in the mirror. “I’m not like other men. And I don’t use the one I love as bragging rights.”
His words comforted her; she trusted he meant what he said. She finished styling her hair and brushed her teeth. He was already dressed and out of the bathroom before she was dressed.
“I’ll see you in the kitchen,” he said, as he kissed her cheek. He poked his head back into the bathroom and said, “Just a fair warning, my kitchen isn’t as great as Rosie’s. I’m not even sure if I have stuff to make breakfast.”
Smiling to herself, she shook her head. Pulling her shirt over her head, she turned off the light and followed him to the kitchen. She could only hope he was lying, as her stomach grumbled.
He quickly searched the cupboards and came up with nothing. “It looks like Gramps’ house for breakfast?”
She laughed as she opened the fridge door. She quickly shut it as a putrid smell hit her in the face. “What the heck is that?”
He placed a hand over the fridge door to make sure it stayed closed. “I have no idea.”
As the gagging smell hit her, she covered her face with her shirt. With a hand over her shirt-covered nose, she opened the door again to investigate where the smell was coming from. He tried to talk her out of it, but she was curious. Cracking the door open, the smell hit her once again, but this time it wasn’t as bad, since she was prepared for it. She looked at each shelf, mostly empty, except for a carton of eggs and something else in a container next to it. She reached for the container, taking caution in case something came crawling out of it.
“I wouldn’t open that if I were you,” he said, standing back away from her and the suspect of the smell.
She cracked the lid and nearly lost her stomach contents at the site of rotten food with mold and the like mixed with it. She shrieked and headed for his trash can. He held up a hand and shouted in a frantic voice, “Not in that one! Take it out back!”
She did as he said, and tossed it in the metal garbage can that sat out back against the house. The metal lid clanged as she slammed it down. She hurried back inside to the sink and turned the faucet on. She scrubbed her hands for a good minute or two before rinsing them off.
“What the heck was that?” she asked as she dried her hands.
He shrugged. “Probably something Rosie sent home with me a while ago.”
With her nose wrinkled, she tugged on his shirt sleeve and said, “Let’s get out of here. We’ll have breakfast at the other house while we go over the details we have left to discuss.”
Once at Wes and Rosie’s, she made them an omelet and gave him the rest of the details.
“Advertising is going to be costly,” she said, while flipping the eggs in the pan. “It’s right up there with the cost of paying the employees.”
Liam had his notes in front of him as he made small marks next to the details that he had deemed the most important.
“Here’s the thing, we’re going to want to get people to spread good things about the bar by word of mouth. Word of mouth is the only cost effective way. It’s priceless.”
He nodded in agreement, making another note on his paper. “So how do we go about that?”
“Well, that’s the thing. We don’t really have control over that.” She flipped the omelets onto their plates and set his down in front of him. She poured him a glass of milk. “What we do have control over is getting the community involved, having events or charity functions to gain exposure.”
She placed his glass in front of him. “You’ve put a lot of work into this.”
She smiled. “It’s what I’m good at. Plus, it’s our future,” she said, grabbing her plate and sitting down across from him. “I want it to succeed. It’s what you brought me here for, remember?”
He had been successful at getting her here. She wasn’t really sure how he had done it so quickly, but he did it and that’s all that mattered now. Although now, they were more than potential business partners, they were engaged, and life was better for them because of it.
“I may have had an underlying motive,” he admitted, with a grin. He covered his grin by taking a drink.
“And to think, you thought I had no idea what you were doing,” she said, with confidence. “I knew all along what your intentions were.”
He laughed, with a nod, and finished the last few bites he had left on his plate. He listened as she carried on where she’d left off. “How about a website?”
Knowing he was inadequate with technology, she knew he might have doubts about it. She waited patiently for his thoughts before she continued. When he didn’t say anything, she said, “I know you’re not into the latest technology, so no worries, I’ll take care of it.”
He nodded and glanced at his phone. “Five missed calls,” he said, with a raised eyebrow. “I guess I’d better give them a call and let them know why I’m five minutes late and counting.”
She finished her breakfast as he explained to the guys that they were just finishing breakfast and he’d be there. The guys must’ve given him crap about it, because he laughed, and said, “No, I’m serious. We have a lot to discuss before the bar opens, so we’re talking about it over breakfast.”
The guy he was talking to must’ve tried to call his bluff once again, because this time Liam got a bit huffy and said, “There’s a lot more that goes into a business than just building it. I’ll be there after a while.”
He hung up shaking his head. “Men are such pigs. Always thinking about sex and shit.”
She smirked and crossed her arms in front of her. She gave him the I-told-you-so look. He pointed and said, “Don’t you dare give me that look.”
They went over the rest of the details, which included tournaments, promoting events for the holidays, and what their hours of business would be. He was the easiest person she had ever talked to in regards to business. He was laid back and pretty much agreed with everything she brought to the table.
She closed her notebook. Placing both hands on top of it and said, “So, that’s what I’ve been working on for the last however many months.”
He reached for his keys and said, “Sure impressive, if you ask me.”
“Thanks.” She stood up to give him a quick hug and kiss. “I’ll be working on the schedule and other things—like the grand opening, with a possible Halloween bash.”
She couldn’t deny the excitement for the final night of grand opening and she wasn’t about to deny her excitement for Halloween costumes and partying past midnight with fun giveaways, if the bar was completed in time for Halloween. She couldn’t wait.
“I’m sure it’ll be great,” Liam said. He kissed her and slapped her butt. “I’ll see you when I get home.”
Even though he had agreed on everything she brought up,
he seemed short. She shrugged it off as him not wanting to upset the guys by being any later, and maybe he was a bit stressed. Either way, she knew things were going to be okay.
The bar was completely finished by its deadline. She and Liam had everything planned out and were ready to rock and roll with the grand opening. News that Rosie was being released the day of their grand opening made it that much more memorable.
Leah had used a checklist over the last two weeks to make sure everything was lined up and ready to go. Interviews had been done and people were hired—a total of four, which included two of their good friends—the female medic, Megan, and Liam’s best friend, Adam, the firefighter who had rescued her from her car. The website was up and running, and with it, they were able to obtain a lot of mailing addresses for regular customers, and new ones, too. She had addressed envelopes with those addresses and had sent the grand opening fliers out the beginning of last week—giving them plenty of time to prepare their costumes.
She heard the rattling wheels of Rosie’s walker coming into the kitchen behind her. Rosie was almost done with physical therapy, and over the last few weeks, she had regained the use of her hand and leg and she was now able to talk in full sentences again.
“Good morning, dear,” Rosie said, as she entered the kitchen.
Leah stood up and wrapped her arms around Rosie. “Good morning, Rosie.”
The visits she had taken to see Rosie had not been enough for Leah. She had missed this woman dearly while she was in the hospital and finishing her therapy.
“Today’s the big day, I heard.”
“Yes, it is,” Leah said, clearing a spot for Rosie to sit down at the table with her. She held onto Rosie as she turned slowly and guided her bottom towards the chair. Once Rosie was seated, Leah poured her a cup of coffee and handed her a doughnut.
“You know how long it’s been since I’ve had coffee? And a doughnut?” Her face was full of delight as she picked up the chocolate covered doughnut and took a bite. She wiped her mouth with her napkin and continued to devour the doughnut like she hadn’t eaten in weeks. She washed it down with the coffee. “Thank you so much, dear.”
All She Ever Wanted (Cedar Valley Novel Book 1) Page 23